KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Family members of inmates at the Lansing Correctional Facility will not be able to make in-person visits this holiday season due to a staffing shortage.
A Kansas Department of Corrections spokesperson told KSHB 41 News Wednesday that as of Dec. 6, in-person visits at the facility were being canceled indefinitely due to the staffing shortage.
Last month, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced pay increases for all KDOC and nursing job classes, as well as temporary pay differentials and one-time, $3,500 bonuses for salaried staff at KDOC, among other state agencies.
In her announcement, Kelly described the staffing shortages at the state’s prisons as “critical,” representing a long-term issue made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Lansing Correctional Facility has also been plagued by two recent incidents of violence directed at corrections officers.
The most recent case occurred in late November, when the Kansas Organization of State Employees says a corrections officer working at Lansing was taken to the hospital after an inmate attack.
In early November, a KDOC spokesperson said a female corrections officer was hospitalized following an incident with an inmate.
